Mysterious Realm, Dusk Valley
As Dave left the relative safety of Lightning Valley and ventured into the perilous Dusk Valley, he felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. The Dusk Valley was notorious for being far more treacherous than its predecessor, yet Dave was resolute in his determination to reach its deepest sections. As he sprinted through the valley, he encountered low-level monsters that could provide him with additional points. However, Dave chose to bypass these creatures, knowing that his competitors were already hunting high-level monsters. Any delay could widen the ever-growing gap between their scores.
After a tense journey, Dave finally reached one of the locations deep within the valley. His heart pounded as he scanned the area for threats. Suddenly, he noticed movement in the distance. Approaching cautiously, he soon realized he was facing a formidable opponent. Dave knew he had to tread carefully and evaluate the situation thoroughly. He carefully studied his opponent and reviewed its status, preparing himself for what promised to be a fierce battle.
---
[Name: Treant]
[Health Points: 19,500/19,500]
[Mana: 3,000/3,000]
[Physical Attack: 950]
[Defense: 300]
[Rank: Bronze Stage ★]
[Elements: Plant, Earth]
[Skills: Vine Whip, Leaf Blade, Sweet Scent]
[Description: This majestic creature, known as the Nature's Child and Guardian of the Woods, stands tall in the heart of the forest. Its bark features unique, face-like patterns that add to its mystique. The division between its trunk clearly defines its legs, while its long, slender branches extend outward as arms, adding grandeur to its overall appearance.]
(A/N: Element properties are being introduced, meaning monsters will now take more or less damage depending on their elemental alignment.)
---
"Earth Element!" Dave muttered, contemplating whether or not to engage the Treant. He then assessed his own status and did some quick calculations.
---
[Name: Dave Blake
[Class: Squire]
[Level: 4 – Middle Iron Level]
[Health Points: 1,100/1,100]
[Mana: 300/600]
[Experience: 1,907/2,000]
[Defense: 145(+15)]
[Physical Attack: 459]
[Attributes: STR: 25(+9), AGI: 14(+2), DEX: 6, INT: 3, VIT: 11(+5)]
[Skills: Triple Slash Level 4, Parry Level 1]
[Tome Skill: Lightning Blade]
[Talent: Infinity Edge (O)]
[Equipment: Battle Sword, Breast Plate, Greaves, Steel Gauntlet]
[Equipment Effects: +300 HP, +30% increase in PATK per attack, +15 Defense]
---
After carefully comparing the Treant's statistics to his own, Dave decided to abandon the area and search for a more suitable opponent. Given his proficiency with lightning-based skills, he opted to head towards an ocean or any other water-based location.
"I should level up first to improve my stats," Dave mused.
Upon reaching Dusk Valley's rocky beach, Dave immediately began hunting low-level monsters. He encountered eight 1★ - Iron stage creatures, swiftly defeating each one. As a result, his experience bar rose by 120 points, and his ranking points increased by 80, edging him closer to his goals.
---
[Congratulations! You have leveled up, +1 level]
[Prompt! You have obtained 5 stat points]
[Prompt! You have obtained 1 skill point]
---
After leveling up to level 5, Dave allocated his stat points in a 3:2 ratio between STR and AGI. He then assigned his skill point to [Triple Slash], increasing his PATK by 6 points and enhancing both his movement and attack speed.
Running the numbers again, Dave realized that with his current stats, he could deal at least 1,500 points of damage per hit using his skill against opponents with an elemental disadvantage.
---
Despite his progress, Dave felt a wave of frustration and dejection wash over him. He couldn't fathom how his two rivals had grown so much stronger, despite the fact that they had all started their journeys at the same time. The gap between them seemed to widen with each passing minute, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for Dave to keep pace.
Dave was not one to take unnecessary risks, especially if the odds were stacked against him. Although he believed in his skills and abilities, he only took on challenges when he was confident in his chances of victory. He wasn't one to engage in a battle he didn't think he could win.
His frustration peaked, and he couldn't help but voice his annoyance, "How can they be so strong? We started at the same time, yet the gap keeps getting bigger." His emotions wavered, teetering on the edge of instability.
Angry with himself for falling behind, Dave made a vow, "Damn it! If I can't hunt 1★ - Bronze stage monsters, then I'll hunt 10★ - Iron stage creatures to catch up! I refuse to believe you two can keep this up!"
What Dave didn't realize was that Gabriel and Tigram didn't dwell on their chances of winning before taking on challenges. They relied on their instincts and confidence in their abilities, which allowed them to emerge victorious even against the most formidable monsters.
---
Mysterious Realm, Somewhere in Dusk Valley
Gabriel had just defeated a Lord-Rank monster and was eager to find new challenges. The thrill of battling iron-stage monsters had long since faded, and he now sought out bronze-stage monsters to satisfy his thirst for adventure. He ventured deeper into the valley, determined to find stronger opponents that could provide him with more experience, equipment, gold, and skill books.
As he pushed further into the valley, Gabriel was surprised to find that the monsters he encountered were of a higher grade than he had anticipated. He wondered why there were so many bronze-stage monsters in this area, considering it was supposed to be a low-level assessment dungeon.
Unbeknownst to Gabriel, this dungeon was indeed a low-level assessment ground, but it was unlike any he had faced before. This mysterious realm was used by the emperor to train the empire's soldiers, and the highest-grade monsters found here were 5★ - Silver stage.
Analyzing the data he had gathered, Gabriel decided to farm for experience, equipment, gold, and skill books. He hoped that his lucky streak would continue and that he would find everything he was looking for.
Gabriel summoned his [Curse Totem (☯️)] and began hunting groups of monsters. To his surprise, they fell with ease; some tried to fight back but were defeated within seconds, while others attempted to take him down with them but couldn't breach his [Shield].
Initially, Gabriel hunted three-unit monster groups at a time, swiftly killing them and gaining 6,800 experience points, which leveled him up to level 7. He ignored the level-up notification and continued hunting. Thirty minutes later, he had already eliminated five more groups of monsters, but something in his calculations didn't add up. He had expected to reach level 8 but had only seen a rise in his experience bar.
Checking his experience panel, Gabriel was shocked to discover that he required a staggering 42,000 experience points to advance to level 8. Undeterred, he resolved to continue his hunt for stronger monsters and gain the experience needed to level up.
---
It is common knowledge among players that advancing from level 1 to 2 requires 500 experience points. Similarly, reaching level 3 requires 1,000 experience points, level 4 demands 1,500 experience points, and level 5 necessitates 2,000 experience points. The requirements become increasingly challenging from level 5 onward. To advance from level 5 to 6, a player must accumulate 2,500 experience points, and moving from level 6 to 7 demands 3,000 experience points.
It is rumored among players that the final two levels of the Iron stage, levels 7 and 8, are the most difficult to level up. To advance from level 7 to 8, a player must sum the experience points required from levels 2 to 7 and then multiply that total by 2, resulting in a daunting 21,000 experience points. This is an arduous task, particularly when relying on low-level Iron stage monsters. The fastest route to level up is by killing 42 - 10★ Iron stage monsters, a feat only Gabriel and Tigram can achieve by hunting 1★- Bronze stage monsters.
To reach level 9, a player must gather twice the experience points required for earlier levels, totaling 42,000 experience points. The gap between levels 9 and 10 is vast, marking the transition from Iron stage to Bronze stage. To reach level 10, a player must amass an overwhelming 100,000 experience points.
Given these demanding requirements, some players choose to remain at lower levels, while others persist but ultimately give up. Only a fortunate few manage to navigate these challenging levels and reach the coveted Bronze tier, Orion. Unless a player is willing to be power-leveled or has the wealth to purchase Experience Orbs from the expensive market, these requirements can seem nearly insurmountable.
---
Upon realizing the amount of experience required, Gabriel's face darkened. He
opened his Ranking Points panel to take a look.
---
[Name: Gabriel Heart]
[Rank: First]
[No. of Kills: 89 - Iron ★, 18 - Iron ★★, 13 - Iron★★★, 3 - Iron★★★★, 1 - Iron ★★★★★★★★★★, 1 - Bronze ★ (shared), 5 - Bronze ★, 1★ - Bronze - Lord Rank]
[Points: 17,360]
[Class: Support - Type, Healing]
---
"It's getting harder to level up now that I've hit the late stage of Iron level," Gabriel muttered to himself.
"AAAAAAAHUUUUUUU," he exhaled deeply, closing the Ranking Points panel before continuing on his journey.
---
Mystical Realm, in an Unknown Location
Two hours before the end of the assessment.
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[Congratulations! You have leveled up, +1 level]
[Prompt! You have obtained 10 stat points]
[Prompt! You have obtained 2 skill points]
[Prompt! You have obtained Experience Orb (15,000)]
---
"Oh, another Experience Orb!" Gabriel exclaimed upon hearing the notification.
He retrieved the Experience Orb and examined its status.
---
[Name: Experience Orb]
[Type: Consumable]
[Grade: Green]
[Description: A one-time-use consumable item. Upon use, the consumer will gain 15,000 experience points.]
---
This was the eighth Experience Orb Gabriel had received from killing monsters in this location. He had already used the first six orbs, which had collectively added 90,000 points to his experience bar, significantly reducing his hunting time. He now had one orb left, and with the addition of this drop, he possessed two orbs.
"If this item were sold in the market, many families would fight for it. It's enough to elevate someone from level 1, regardless of their talent, to level 7 - Iron late stage in the blink of an eye."
"What should I do with this, though? I don't lack gold for the time being," Gabriel pondered aloud.
Throughout his killing spree during the assessment, Gabriel had amassed 28 gold coins and 76 silver coins just from slaying monsters.
Currency drops in this world were fixed, and the amount depended on the strength of the monster killed.
Only Lord-Rank monsters would drop gold, platinum, and diamond coins, depending on the strength of the Lord-Rank monster defeated.
(A/N: 1★ - Iron = 100 copper coins, 2★ - Iron = 200 copper, up to 10★ - Iron = 1,000 copper coins. The same concept applies to bronze: 1★ - Bronze = 2,000 copper coins to 10★ - Bronze = 20,000 copper coins. For conversion: 100 bronze = 1 silver, 100 silver = 1 gold, 100 gold = 1 platinum, and 100 platinum coins = 1 diamond coin.)
(A/N: I prefer not to include gold or copper drops in every kill notification, so I'll do the math and total it for you, readers.)
Gabriel pondered for a moment before deciding to summarize his gains.
---
Having left the deepest part of Dusk Valley behind, Gabriel embarked on a new journey towards an uncharted location. His goal was to farm experience points and level up to 10, knowing that he had already met the level requirement to pass the ongoing assessment.
Gabriel understood that students who reached level 7 by this point would be considered to have already passed the assessment. The sense of relief was akin to dislodging a stubborn fishbone stuck in one's throat.
Gabriel had already achieved one of his objectives: to be the first to pass the assessment. However, he was not satisfied with merely passing. He set a new goal for himself: to reach level 10 before the assessment ended.
During his journey, Gabriel encountered a variety of monsters in different stages. One of them was a 3★-Bronze monster known as Lizardmen. After defeating it, he noticed a significant 5,400-point increase in his experience bar.
Recognizing the potential of this region, Gabriel decided to stay in the Marshes Grounds of the Mysterious Realm to farm more experience points.